HEMPEARTH – Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide, causing significant impacts on physical and emotional health and substantial functional impairment. Approximately 33.7% of individuals in the United States between the ages of 13 and 64 have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives.
Studys showing positive effects for people with anxiety
A Phase II clinical trial investigating the efficacy of the psychedelic compound lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) in combination with psychotherapy for the treatment of anxiety has reported positive results .
Participants given LSD showed greater reductions in their self-reported anxiety than those given a placebo.Of the 42 participants enrolled, half of the group also had a life-threatening illness, such as cancer. The original goal of the trial was to examine how LSD-assisted psychotherapy affected anxiety symptoms with and without the context of a potentially fatal illness.
The study used a “crossover” design, where participants were split into two groups, one of which received LSD and the other a non-psychedelic placebo.
The data showed that patients given LSD had significantly greater reductions in their anxiety than those given a placebo. The LSD group reported lower anxiety scores, on average 14.9 points lower on the STAI-G than at baseline, whereas the mean change for placebo was a 1.3-point increase. The difference between the two groups was statistically significant.
Additionally, the patients given LSD showed improvements in their scores on secondary outcomes, including measures of depression, as compared to placebo. The improvements patients experienced in their anxiety corresponded with the intensity of some of the psychedelic experiences they felt during LSD dosing, including the sensation of oceanic boundlessness (a commonly used metric in the subjective measurement of psychedelic trips).
Anxiety disorders are commonly diagnosed and cause substantial functional impairment. A mixture of pharmacologic and psychosocial treatments currently exists, but these treatments are not always tolerable and effective. For patients with anxiety resistant to standard therapy, psychedelics may be a promising alternative.
This studies demonstrated encouraging efficacy in reducing anxiety symptoms, increasing self-perception, and increasing social function in patients with generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, or anxiety attributable to another medical condition while establishing feasibility and evidence of safety. For many patients, the therapeutic effects of the psychedelic treatment lasted weeks, and no severe adverse events were reported.
LSD and social anxiety
Individuals under the influence of LSD exhibit less reactivity to fear, according to a 2016 study. People who experience less fear are more comfortable in novel situations–and therefore less likely to feel social anxiety in public settings.
“This ‘de-frightening’ effect could be an important factor for positive therapeutic effects”
Psychological and emotional effects
- Increase in associative and creative thinking
- Closed and open-eye visuals
- Ego dissolution
- Sense of unity and connectedness to other life forms
- General sense of euphoria
- Life-changing spiritual experiences
Personal Growth
One of the most promising aspects of LSD is its potential to spur meaningful, profound, and life-changing personal growth. These changes are often credited to one particular aspect of the psychedelic experience: ego dissolution, it can have a profound impact on your perspective about life, consciousness, and the world around you. People under the influence of LSD often report that their constricted sense of self is replaced by a sense of beauty and interconnectedness.
